Editorial style guide: A
A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W Z
On this page:
- A Level
- abbreviations
- accents
- access
- acronyms and initials
- addresses
- alumni, alumnus, alumna and alumnae
- ampersand (&)
- and/or
- apostrophes
- Arts Tower
- asterisks (*)
A Level
Not hyphenated. Use an upper case L.
abbreviations
Don't use them. Write the word in full.
Abbreviated terms commonly used within the University may not be understood outside it, especially by prospective international students.
February, not Feb.
Tuesday, not Tues.
Professor, not Prof.
Exceptions:
Mr Mrs Dr 鈥 note that there is no full stop
See also acronyms and initials
accents
Use accents on foreign words, unless the word has been anglicised, such as cafe or fiance.
Exceptions:
Pre虂cis Expose虂 (to distinguish from expose)
access
When giving directions, always include information about disabled access.
acronyms and initials
When you introduce an acronym, write the title in full, followed by the acronym in brackets. After that, you can use the acronym on its own.
The School of East Asian Studies (SEAS) offers four-year language-based courses in Japanese, Korean and Chinese. SEAS undergraduates can choose鈥
When an acronym is better known than what it stands for you can make an exception. For example, BBC or NATO.
If you are writing for the web, acronyms should be written in full with the short version in brackets the first time they are used on each web page.
See also abbreviations
addresses
Where possible, addresses should be arranged vertically in documents, publications and on University stationery and web pages.
Building numbers that cover a range (eg 196鈥198) should be separated by an en-dash with no spaces. See en-dash.
If the address is in a city or major town, do not include the county.
If you're writing for an international audience, the country should follow the town or city and postcode on a new line. In the case of University addresses, always use United Kingdom, rather than England.
91直播
Western Bank
91直播
S10 2TN
United Kingdom
For department addresses, put the department name before the University:
Department of Journalism Studies
91直播
18鈥22 Regent Street
91直播
S1 3NJ
Some important details:
- no full stops at the end of addresses
- no comma between the number and the street name
- do not abbreviate Road, Street or Avenue
- the postcode should be on the last line
Avoid making an address part of a sentence or paragraph of text. If you have to do this, use commas where the lines would normally break, but don't use punctuation between post town or city and postcode:
School of Health and Related Research, Regent Court, 91直播, 30 Regent Street, 91直播 S1 4DA
alumni, alumnus, alumna and alumnae
The Latin term "alumni" means former students.
Alumni is the plural form:
The University has many alumni around the world in positions of importance.
Alumnus is the male singular form:
The ABC singer Martin Fry is an alumnus of the University of 91直播.
Alumna is the female singular form:
The gold medallist Jessica Ennis is an alumna of the University of 91直播.
Alumnae is the female plural form:
Distinguished Writers Hilary Mantel and Joanne Harris are both alumnae of the University of 91直播
If you have a mixture of men and women, they're described as alumni, a bit like the use of mankind to describe men and women.
Some of the above variations aren't used very often. "Graduates" is another way you can refer to former students.
ampersand (&)
Don't use ampersands in your writing. We sometimes use ampersands in the vertical arrangement of titles and department names for design purposes, but that's different.
Get in touch with the Marketing team for details.
and/or
Try to avoid. Use one or the other or rewrite the sentence. The same applies to his/her.
apostrophes
Apostrophes are used to denote possession or omissions in words and phrases.
Possession
If an object or objects belong to one person or thing, the apostrophe goes before the s:
The University's halls of residence.
If an object or objects belong to more than one person or thing, then the apostrophe goes after the s:
The graduates' certificates will be kept in departmental offices.
The same applies to singular nouns ending in s:
The class's teacher was absent.
Plurals of common nouns ending in s don't need an extra s after the apostrophe:
The classes' timetables were confused.
When you use plural nouns that don't end in s 鈥 children, women, sheep 鈥 the apostrophe goes before the s:
The women's minibus runs until 11pm.
See also it's or its
Omission
Apostrophes are also used to show that letters are missed out of a word or phrase, usually to make it easier to pronounce.
I'll 鈥 I will
they're 鈥 they are
See also Contractions
Where not to use apostrophes
Never use an apostrophe to form a plural with numbers and letters:
1990s, not 1990's
Three As at A Level, not three A's at A Level
CDs, not CD's
Never use an apostrophe when "its" is used in the possessive sense:
The University is easy to get to: its main buildings are near the tram stop.
Arts Tower
Lectures take place in the Arts Tower.
asterisks (*)
Try to avoid using asterisks. Whatever you have to say should be made clear in your writing. There should be no need for footnotes or small print.
They shouldn't be used for other purposes, such as to denote an omission or to present bullet points.